-
I want to thank all the members that have upgraded your accounts. I truly appreciate your support of the site monetarily. Supporting the site keeps this site up and running as a lot of work daily goes on behind the scenes. Click to Support Signs101 ...
Tracking is off, return to print origin seems off, prints skew
- Thread starter dreko
- Start date
Jim Hancock
Old School Technician
Try cleaning the encoder strip.
This is the best way to do this. You will need gloves, a clean microfiber cloth and acetone. Yes, acetone... It will not damage the encoder strip in any way. 91% alcohol is ok, but doesn't get all the ink off. NEVER use alcohol less than 91% as the water content in 70% alcohol will soften the emulsion on the encoder strip (it's a piece of graphics film) and can damage it. I have cleaned hundreds of encoder strips with acetone and never damaged one.
Enter the maintenance mode by pressing the cleaning button while turning on the front power switch. Select cleaning so the print head moves to the other end of the printer. Power off the printer with the main switch in the back of the printer. You can now freely move the print head so you can get the entire strip.
Cut several 2 inch squares of the microfiber cloth, wet it with acetone, and fold it over the encoder strip and wipe the stripe gently using your thumb and forefinger to hold the cloth against the encoder strip. Do this several times with a new square of cloth until the cloth is clean. When done, power up the printer, the head carriage will make its way back to home position on its own.
After doing this, do the Initialize the Limit step.
This is the best way to do this. You will need gloves, a clean microfiber cloth and acetone. Yes, acetone... It will not damage the encoder strip in any way. 91% alcohol is ok, but doesn't get all the ink off. NEVER use alcohol less than 91% as the water content in 70% alcohol will soften the emulsion on the encoder strip (it's a piece of graphics film) and can damage it. I have cleaned hundreds of encoder strips with acetone and never damaged one.
Enter the maintenance mode by pressing the cleaning button while turning on the front power switch. Select cleaning so the print head moves to the other end of the printer. Power off the printer with the main switch in the back of the printer. You can now freely move the print head so you can get the entire strip.
Cut several 2 inch squares of the microfiber cloth, wet it with acetone, and fold it over the encoder strip and wipe the stripe gently using your thumb and forefinger to hold the cloth against the encoder strip. Do this several times with a new square of cloth until the cloth is clean. When done, power up the printer, the head carriage will make its way back to home position on its own.
After doing this, do the Initialize the Limit step.
dreko
New Member
Thanks guys.
The black pinch roller assemblies have no cracks in them.
I cleaned the encoder strip with 99.9% ISO alcohol. The strips are perfectly clean now (previously, they had some odd 'grease' or residue on them)
Is it possible the strip didn't have the proper tension, and was rubbing up against the encoder sensor? I think the encoder strip is supposed to be sitting close but not touching the sensor in the moving carriage head.
Any other thoughts as to why I'm getting incorrect repositioning when choosing 'return to print origin' for multi layered prints?
Also the roller marks in the paper also seem skewed... and the printing reflects this.
Any adjustment that can be tested and made in the paper feed motor?
I'll initialize the limit step again... we had some issues where the cutting head wasn't unlocking from the print head. So we manually separated ( I think it's just a magnet that holds them together) to complete the Limit step initialization.
The black pinch roller assemblies have no cracks in them.
I cleaned the encoder strip with 99.9% ISO alcohol. The strips are perfectly clean now (previously, they had some odd 'grease' or residue on them)
Is it possible the strip didn't have the proper tension, and was rubbing up against the encoder sensor? I think the encoder strip is supposed to be sitting close but not touching the sensor in the moving carriage head.
Any other thoughts as to why I'm getting incorrect repositioning when choosing 'return to print origin' for multi layered prints?
Also the roller marks in the paper also seem skewed... and the printing reflects this.
Any adjustment that can be tested and made in the paper feed motor?
I'll initialize the limit step again... we had some issues where the cutting head wasn't unlocking from the print head. So we manually separated ( I think it's just a magnet that holds them together) to complete the Limit step initialization.